Happiness
by the-mpreg-spirit
Summary: SiriusRemus. The cure of a certain 'problem' brings other consequences. It is Sirius who makes them bearable. Written for the Porkishpixies halloween challange.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.  
-Allan K. Chalmers **_

_Remus Lupin had always been small. It might have had something to do with his lycanthropy, but if you looked closely in the old singed pictures of him with his parents, he was a tiny little boy even before his incident with Greyback._

_He was sixteen when it happened, over ten years of horrible transformations, when it happened. One fateful afternoon._

The Sixth-year dormitory door banged open, cause the two occupants to jump and the map they'd been concentrating on to slide to the floor

"Merlin Wormtail, if you're trying to hide from Abbott again, don't be so noisy about it." Peter scowled at Sirius' comment.

"I actually came in here because I have some news. And I don't hide from him."

"So what were you doing under your bed last time he stormed in here to hex your brains out?"

"Shut up Sirius. I wanna hear." James said and Peter handed him the newspaper. His eyes widened as they skimmed it. He wordlessly handed it to Sirius. The eldest boy read the headline quickly and in the blink of an eye, all three were banging on the bathroom door.

"MOONY!" Cursing could be heard from inside and a very irate Remus stepped out in only a towel only to be thwacked in the chest with the daily prophet. He glared at Sirius but his expression changed as he read the headline, his mouth moving silently.

"**LYCANTHROPY CURE FOUND??"**

* * *

"I don't know… it's still experimental." Sirius reached across the dinner table and grabbed the paper out of his hands.

"It says that three people have stopped transforming already." He said as he poked the third paragraph down. All three of his friends just stared at him. "What?"

"You actually read the article? The whole thing?" Sirius sat down and gave a shrug as he looked at James.

"Well yeah, I mean… I needed to make sure it was safe for Moony…" He mumbled awkwardly.

"It could still be dangerous." He said, setting the paper down next to his plate of cauliflower and carrots. "I think I'll wait to hear more about it first."

"Well Moony, just think about it." Sirius said softly as all four leant close together, blocking out anyone who might be eavesdropping (not likely as everybody was at least five seats away from either side). "Would you take a tiny risk or transform painfully every month for the rest of your life."

"If that risk involves becoming a vegetable stuck in St Mungos for the rest of my life, I think it's obvious what my choice is…"

* * *

When the Full moon came two weeks later, Remus didn't quite agree with his previous statement. It had been a particularly rough night and as soon as they were sure he was human again, his friends transformed back into human form and helped him up.

"Guys…" He said hoarsely as Sirius and James each put one arm over their shoulders and Peter fetched a blanket to wrap him in. "I think I'm going to try talk to my parents about that treatment."

"That's great Moony." James replied as they ducked, following Peter through the dark tunnel. "You'll be free from your 'Furry little problem' in no time." Those words brought back his original worry and he felt a lump in his throat. "Something wrong?"

"The money. They're obviously going to charge for it and my parents can barely afford to send me to school, never mind pay for something that might not even work!" They walked in silence, no one really having an answer.

James' parents didn't know what Remus was and Peter was probably in the same situation as him, only his mother to take care of him off of a type of welfare fund. Sirius broke the silence as the stepped out from underneath the now-still Whomping-Willow tree.

"I'll pay for it."

"Sirius, you don't need to do that." He knew Sirius was still saving to move out of James' place. They stopped walking.

"No, I want to. My uncle left me a decent bit of gold and I might as well put it to good use?" Remus' lip quivered. He didn't even know what to say. The blanket fell as he let go of James, hugging Sirius tightly around the neck, thanking him profusely and promising to pay him back someday. Sirius only laughed and hugged back.

* * *

Another thing for Porkishpixies. A little story for the Halloween challange. This is only part one... Hope you enjoy!

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	2. Chapter 2

His parents had agreed wholeheartedly that it would be worth it to at least try. When they'd contacted the research institution, they'd been less enthusiastic. It would mean selling their house and taking Remus out of school to be able to pay for it.

It had taken convincing but eventually, they reluctantly agreed to Sirius' donation and Remus found himself counting down the days to the end of summer when the treatments would happen begin and take place every fortnight.

Apparently the spells had to be done at the institution in certain conditions. Like an equivalent to muggle chemotherapy, it killed the lycanthropy cells in his body until there weren't enough to transform him and the remaining ones died off. It would make him feel sick and tired during the treatments, but he'd decided it would be worth it in the end.

The teachers knew what he was going through and were supportive of him, accepting late homework assignments and his days off when he didn't want to get out of bed. His friends were better, helping him with the smallest of tasks.

But nobody was quite as helpful as Sirius, even going as far as cancelling his date for the first Hogsmeade visit when Remus was suffering from a migraine. James had a day out with Evans planned while Peter had to stock up Honeydukes so they couldn't stay with him. Instead, Sirius had sat next to his best, offering comforting words and support.

Coming in from the bathroom, Sirius placed a cloth on Remus' forehead, the werewolf staring up at him groggily as he woke up.

"Morning again Moony. How you feeling?" Remus groaned.

"Like every one of my bones has turned to mush." Sirius looked at him sympathetically, giving a small smile and brushing a bit of hair off of his face. Remus didn't tell ever tell him how much better that simple gesture made him feel. He looked around. "Where is everyone? Did you skip class?"

"It's Saturday Moony, they're at Hogsmeade."

"Why aren't you with them? I thought you had a date with Abigail?"

"I did. I cancelled it." He saw the shocked look and shrugged, not waiting for the why. "I figured you'd need the company more than she would…"

He'd been levitated out to the shrieking shack by Madam Pomfrey, his legs too weak to walk when the next full moon came around. He'd never felt worse than when he had still transformed and had fallen onto the bed tiredly, not even bothering to leave the shack.

Another two treatments and even his friends' attempts to keep his moral up were failing (Even pulling silly faces at him to make him smile). He stopped attending classes and rarely left the room, a house elf bringing him meals.

Three days before the end of October, the second full moon approached. When he'd looked at the calendar and saw the red-circled date, he couldn't help it. He started crying. That's how the other three had found him two hours later.

He knew he was being foolish when the day came, but he refused to leave his bed. It wouldn't stop the transformation and he could quite possibly hurt someone, but he didn't care. Reluctantly, James, Sirius and Peter had slipped him the sedative from Madam Pomfrey and he woke with a crick in his neck in the shack late that night, three guilty faces staring at him from the floor.

He'd frowned before remembering it all. A beep on Peter's watch told them it was time and he watched as a stag, a dog and a rat appeared before him. His heart sank and a dreaded feeling settled over him. He bit his lip and closed his eyes as he waited. When it didn't come, he opened them again, staring at the ceiling. A low neighing sound and stamping of a hoof and he looked around.

Padfoot had started to approach him cautiously, ignoring Prongs' warnings, sniffed his hand and licked the hairless skin. He gave a bark, his tail wagging and Remus gasped. Was this because of the potion? Did it work?

The marauders, in human form, trooped out of the shack into the moonlight before going out into Hogsmeade. As they sat on the wet grass early in the morning, watching the full moon disappear and the sun start to rise, Remus couldn't hold back tears once again.

He could still feel the effects of the treatment and a slight shiver in his skin, but he couldn't, and wouldn't be able to for the rest of his life, recall ever feeling happier…

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

The ecstasy of the situation hadn't worn off as the thirty-first came and the four sat in their dormitory as it neared midnight, surrounded by their usual selection of sweets and telling scary stories.

Sirius had just finished and they sat in the soft 'lumos' light, no one daring to move. The boy had a gift for story telling, always had. It didn't matter if it wasn't funny, amazing or scary, Sirius could make it sound like it. They sat in silence, three brooding on his ending while he beamed as only Sirius could.

A hard bang on the door and there were four screams from the bed, the wand falling to the floor and leaving them total in darkness. The bedside lamp flicked on a moment later. James lying half off the bed with his hand on the switch, Peter on his backside on the floor. Remus looked up from behind his pillow.

"What was that?" James pulled himself up and shakily walked to the door, going out into the common room. Peter picked himself up and climbed onto the bed, reaching for a chocolate frog and popping it into his mouth. James returned a moment later with a scowl on his face.

"Bloody first years playing with Firecrackers in the common room. We'll see how they like it in detention with Filch for the whole of next week."

"Don't be too harsh James, it sounds like something you and Sirius would have done." Remus replied.

"Where is Sirius anyway?" James looked around at Peter's question, his eyes settling on the floor and his expression changing to an amused smirk. Both leaned over and saw exactly why he was smiling. On the other side of the room, protruding from under Sirius' bed was the long black tail and quivering rump of Padfoot. James approached him and kneeled down next to it.

"Padfoot, it's okay now." He said gently as he rubbed his back. Padfoot only whimpered. James looked up at Peter. "Pass one of those frogs here." He caught it in his hand, unwrapping it and holding it slightly under the bed. Padfoot sniffed it cautiously before licking it and covering half of James' hand in slobber.

Pulling back, James brought the frog out in the open, the scared dog following and settling down on the floor as his treat was handed back to him. Remus watched as he pulled it apart, chocolate melting and sticking his fur.

"How can you eat those things?" Remus asked, always having a much healthier taste than anything for sweets and chocolates like his friends. He refused the one Peter, whose mouth was covered in chocolate and had half of one in his other fist, offered him.

"Eat it!" He shook his head.

"Aw come on Moony, we're celebrating. Just try it." James urged and Remus sighed. He wasn't going to win this battle and even Padfoot was paying attention as he took it.

He unwrapped it, holding it to his mouth disgustedly, reluctant to eat it. Padfoot gave a bark and he bit its head somewhat timidly. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he couldn't have been more wrong and his friends cheered as he opened his eyes, looking at it again. Maybe it wasn't so bad…

* * *

Maybe it was the werewolf gene that had stunted his taste buds, maybe he had just never tried it before, but Remus found his tastes expanding over the next few weeks. 

His usual diet of mainly vegetables had been shoved aside for meats, desserts, especially the frogs, and anything sweet he could get his teeth on. His friends just laughed and encouraged his new eating habits, glad to see him happy.

It was subtle and first and Remus didn't even notice, just a glow to his cheeks and not looking so much like an anorexic skeleton. But as he didn't slow down, the three friends started to notice a change. It seemed he hadn't inherited the same speedy metabolism as Sirius and James.

"Moony…" James said amusedly as he watched Remus dig hurriedly into dinner (steak and potatoes). "Slow down, it's not going anyway." Remus looked up at him, his cheeks full as he paused with his knife and fork.

"What do you mean?" James ignored that he was talking with his mouth full, something they had never seen him do before.

"I mean calm down. There's no need to rush it. You act like you haven't eaten for weeks…" Remus just glared and carried on eating. James looked at Sirius and shook his head.

A few days before the Christmas holidays, the marauders found themselves late for class yet again. Remus, usually ready first and punctual to the point of obsessive, was locked in the bathroom refusing to open the door or tell them why.

"Mcgonagall is gonna kill us..."

"No. Just give us detention. Again."

"You know, I kind of miss it. I keep looking forward to the full moons and only remembering two days before..." James looked at the still closed door.

"Don't let Moony hear you say that, Padfoot." He said as he sank down onto his bed again. "He's happier now that it's gone." the door opened and Remus came out soon after looking miserable. Peter looked back at James.

"Are you so sure about that?"

"You know, for a shared room, we don't get to see much of it anymore..." James gave another bang to the door. After a long double-Herbology lesson, which only Remus didn't take, they had come back to find their door locked.

Now they sat against the door a half hour later, tired and covered in dirt and Venomous Tentacular seeds, still trying to get Remus to open.

"I'm sick of this." Sirius said and stood up, drawing out his wand and pointing it at the door.

"Moony!" He shouted loud enough to make some first years doing homework before dinner jump and knock over their inkbottles. "Open this door now or I'll blast it off its hinges." Sirius didn't even have to wait. There was a click and he lowered it slowly.

He looked at his friends on either side for a second before opening the door slowly. The room seemed to be empty. They followed him inside when a voice came suddenly from the other side, farthest from the door.

"Just Sirius." James just shrugged as Sirius looked at him and he and Peter left.

"We'll go to the prefect's bathroom. It's got more space anyway..." They closed the door behind them and Sirius approached Remus' bed. He was sitting around the side, his knees held up to his chest and his eyes staring straight ahead of him.

Sirius slumped down next to him and he turned away.

"I should have listened to James." He said quietly. Sirius put a hand on his shoulder, not really knowing what to say. James said a lot of things, most of which were a load of babble usually about Evans and/or Quidditch. "I'm hideous."

He turned Remus' face to his and the boy closed his eyes. A bluish-black bruise was forming on his cheek.

"Who was it?" He received no answer. "Was it Abbott?" He got a slight nod. With a small shock from his wand, it healed itself, leaving his skin pale and clear once more.

"He told me I was getting smart with him after he was laughing at me." He looked down at his robes, which were near straining point. "I'm hideous." He repeated.

"No you're not." Sirius replied simply and Remus looked at him, curious about his strange reply.

Sirius kissed him on the lips.

Remus didn't pull away.

When Remus woke later, he was in his own bed. Besides the small sliver of moonlight shining on him he was in complete darkness. As he shifted, his thigh brushed against the blankets. He pulled them up, realising he was naked. He looked next to him. Empty. He had hoped this wouldn't happen, but somehow he'd been expecting it.

He blinked and looked around. The room was pretty much empty. Curious as to where the rest of his friend were, surely they weren't still in the Prefect's bathroom or sitting outside the door? He slipped on his too small robe (Sirius had promised him, somewhere in the lustful haze, that they would go out the next day and he'd pay for new ones. Fat chance of that now that he'd disappeared. Remus purposely ignored the unintended pun)

The common room was empty at first glance but as he listened closer, there was shuffling and a munching in the armchair nearest the fire. He clutched the banister, holding his robes closed with the other hand.

"Sirius?"

"Nope." Peter's head appeared over the back of the chair and Remus couldn't mask his disappointment. He sank into the chair on the right side.

"Where's Sirius?" Peter had bitten into another chocolate and shrugged.

"Went somewhere with James. Didn't look too happy." He said and held out a chocolaty hand, offering Remus one of his Frogs. He was going to tell him no, remembering earlier with the bigger Hufflepuff boy, but took it anyway, not really finding it in himself to care at that moment.

They sat eating away at Peter's sweets in silence until suddenly the remains of the fire in front of them flared up bright and turned green. Dumbledore's head appeared as they were recovering from their shock, the Honeydukes purchases scattered on the floor.

When they were both asked to come to his office, despite the late hour, they looked at each other. It most probably involved Sirius and James, trips to teacher's offices usually did, but why would they have to be there?

As he left, the fire going back down to embers and ash, they stood up. They left the safety of the Gryffindor common room and started their way to the office, once again silent.

It didn't take long for the Gargoyle to jump aside, the Headmaster's fondness for sweets, particularly muggle, was common knowledge. They made their way up the stairs and into the office. It was definitely not what they expected.

Yes, Sirius and James were there, both looking considerably beaten and yes, Dumbledore had a smile on his face as usual. But two strange people were on the right, sitting on either side of what must have been their son and next to his friends sat James' parents. He guessed they counted as Sirius' parents too since his had disowned him.

Everyone looked at them.

"Sorry to call you both in so late on a school night boys, but we need some information." they just stared at him. He looked to the boy neither recognised. "Have you ever been in an 'unpleasant situation' with Mr. Abbott?"

Abbott? Remus saw it as he looked again. It seemed as well as being beaten, he'd literally had his face rearranged, his nose bleeding over his forehead. Dumbledore gave a cough, bringing Remus back to the present. He couldn't speak, still having a slight fear of what the boy might do. He only nodded and he guessed Peter must have done the same because Dumbledore clapped.

"Very well. I see no point with carrying on this meeting. When Sirius sought out John, he had the intent of defending his friends and Mr. Potter was merely..." Remus blanked out after that. After a long goodbye which involved James' mother fussing over him, they headed back to the dormitory.

Remus' mind drifted as he sat on his bed. He looked at Sirius. He hadn't abandoned him after all. He had been protecting him. That meant...

Sirius looked back at him, away from James as the other boy struggled to get into his pyjamas. His sprained wrist made it a difficult job and it was stuck halfway over his head. He smiled at him, licking his the spot just left lip.

Remus mimicked him unconsciously, tasting sugar. His finger touched the spot and found a bit of stray chocolate. Sirius grinned at him.

He stood up, ignoring the curious looks of the recently freed and the covered in toothpaste, he climbed into bed next to Sirius, burrowing under the covers. Sirius smirked at them and ripped the hangings shut.

* * *

There's still one more chapter to this... Thanks to all who reviewed. I know it's been long but School's started and it's a lot of work so I've got to ease myself back into writing. Thanks again.

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	4. Epilogue

They'd always been told that the year would speed past them, but they only believed it as they found the end of May and their NEWT exams approaching.

After a particularly hard night of studying, Remus had his first fight with Sirius since they'd gotten together. They'd agreed that maybe they should take a small break. Remus didn't say anything when he found a big black dog curled up in his bed two nights later. The 'break' was forgotten and never mentioned again.

The final day of school came up soon after. As they stood for a graduation photo of the four, Remus felt Sirius' hand drift down to his bum, the same smile on his face as he looked at the camera, but if you looked at picture you'd see the naughty twinkle in his eyes. By now, Remus felt like, and probably was, the biggest in their year, but Sirius didn't seem to mind.

Around February, when he'd started attracting more gossip than he'd ever thought he'd be a part of, he'd tried taking up Quidditch and flying. He'd been praised by Sirius when he lost a pound or two, but when he gave up, just not having James or Sirius' passion for it, and gained it back, Sirius hadn't even mentioned it.

* * *

Sirius lay back against the deck chair lazily. A large chunk and probably most of, his uncle's money had gone into buying this house. 

A large three bedroom house, the two were guest rooms for now. He smiled as he shifted. Barely six months into their relationship and Sirius already knew how he felt about Remus. Someday they could extend their family to fill the rooms, but whether it was through potions or an agency, Sirius wasn't looking into either for the moment.

Soft footsteps on the bricks and he lowered his sunglasses, giving a wolf whistle. Remus blushed.

"If this wasn't private property, I'd have to be more careful." Sirius said as his boyfriend approached. Remus, in all his vast fleshy glory, was dressed in what first appeared to be a red postage stamp. He pulled a towel over himself

"Why? Because I might trample someone?" Sirius scowled.

"Don't be stupid. Come here." He pulled Remus forward, throwing the towel to ground. He pulled him down on top of him and kissed him passionately.

The broke apart a moment later, both panting to catch their breath again. Sirius stared into his eyes lovingly.

"It's a good thing we're on private property," he repeated. "Because someone might steal from right under my nose." Remus stared back. It was clear Sirius really believed those words. He kissed him again.

_Remus Lupin wasn't small anymore nor would he ever be. But Sirius didn't care and if he thought of it, neither did he. Remus Lupin was not small anymore. He was happy. _

**_Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle. -Amy Bloom _**

END  


_7:28 am  
__30-10-06  
__The-mpreg-spirit._


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